On March 25, the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) at MIT inaugurated the global Alliance for Data, Evaluation, and Policy Training (ADEPT) in collaboration with Community Jameel at a gathering in São Paulo, Brazil.
ADEPT represents a coalition of universities, governments, and various stakeholders united by a common aspiration: To equip the forthcoming generation of policymakers, decision-makers, and scholars with the necessary resources to innovate, assess, and expand the most effective social policies and initiatives. These initiatives hold the promise of enhancing the lives of millions globally.
Frequently, policy determinations in governmental bodies and other organizations are influenced by ideology or conjecture. This often leads to ineffective and suboptimal policies and programs that may not adequately serve their target demographics. ADEPT aims to introduce a scientific approach to policymaking, emphasizing areas such as statistical assessment, data analytics, and thorough impact evaluation.
In conjunction with J-PAL, members will devise groundbreaking pathways for learners, which will encompass both virtual and face-to-face courses, formulate new academic curricula focused on policy assessment and data interpretation, and foster a network of evidence-based policy experts to drive global transformation.
During the launch event at Insper, a Brazilian institution of higher education, MIT economists Esther Duflo, who co-founded J-PAL, and Sara Fisher Ellison, the director of ADEPT, discussed the significance of cultivating a community devoted to supporting evidence-based policymaking.
“Our goal is to establish a vision-driven network of institutions worldwide capable of equipping a greater number of individuals in more locations with the skills and motivations for evidence-based policymaking,” Duflo remarked. “We are thrilled to include Insper in this movement and to generate new opportunities for learners in Brazil.”
Alliance members will also gain entry to the MITx MicroMasters program in Data, Economics, and Design of Policy (DEDP), which provides online classes instructed by faculty from the MIT Department of Economics via MIT’s Office of Open Learning. This program includes graduate-level courses that integrate economic theories and policy design with a robust grounding in economic and mathematical concepts.
Initial members of the alliance comprise Insper, a prominent research and training institution in Brazil; the National School of Statistics and Applied Economics of Abidjan in collaboration with the Ivorian government; the Paris School of Economics; and Princeton University.
“This historic initiative in Latin America strengthens Insper’s dedication to academic excellence and the global outreach of education, granting Brazilian students access to a program of international acclaim,” asserts Cristine Pinto, Insper’s research director. “Fostering large-scale impact through research and data analysis is a fundamental objective of Insper, which aligns with J-PAL and the growth of ADEPT.”
Students who earn the DEDP MicroMasters certification through ADEPT can expedite their pursuit of a master’s degree by applying to affiliated universities, including Insper and MIT, thereby creating opportunities for learners who might not otherwise have access to premier economics programs.
By equipping learners with the resources and drive to instigate meaningful change, ADEPT aims to enhance data-driven decision-making at every phase of the policymaking journey. Ideally, the expectation is that ADEPT’s influence will resonate not just with alliance members and their individual learners, but also with millions benefiting from improved policies and programs around the globe.